
165 Why Students Keep Asking “When Will I Ever Use This?” (And What That’s Really Telling You)
From Modern Math Teacher- Teaching Strategies for High School and Middle School Math Teachers by Kristen Moore- High School Algebra Teacher + AI Educator + PBL Coach
April 14, 2026 · 10 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the importance of making math relevant to students to enhance their engagement and understanding.
When students ask this question, it’s not about attitude. 👉 It’s about relevance. In this episode, we break down what students are really asking—and how to start making math feel more meaningful without redesigning your entire curriculum. In This Episode: Why students struggle to see the value in mathWhy common teacher responses don’t workWhat students actually need to stay engagedA simple shift to make your lessons more relevant Key Takeaway: Students engage when math feels useful—not just ...
People in this episode
Host: Kristen Moore
Topics covered
- student engagement
- math relevance
- teaching strategies
- curriculum design
- student attitudes
Keywords
- math education
- student questions
- curriculum relevance
- teaching math
- engagement strategies
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